Network-provided content, such as Internet web pages or media content such as video, pictures, music, and the like, are typically served to end users via networked computer systems. End user requests for the network content are processed and the content is responsively provided over various network links. These networked computer systems can include hosting servers which host network content of content creators or originators, such as web servers for hosting a news website.
To ensure secure transfer of content between end users and hosting systems, such as web servers, various secure transport protocols have been developed. In some examples, such as secure sockets layer (SSL) or transport layer security (TLS), a handshaking process occurs to exchange various parameters for the secure layer activities as well as to negotiate encryption keys and other security information. SSL/TLS protocols typically reside at the application layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) network layer model and can provide secure transfer of user data between endpoints. Other protocols, such as transmission control protocol (TCP) reside at the transport layer which handles flow control and data transport services for the application layer among other higher network layers.